vince: as you can see this bathroom renovationis in full swing, now it's time to start laying some tile. we've already prepped the floor with thisunderlayment. now if you haven't seen the prep video it'simportant that you watch that first. we're going to be laying this ceramic tilein a jack-on-jack pattern. it's going to look great for our bathroom.now before you start, it's a good idea to mix tiles from different boxes in case there'sany slight difference in color. all right, let's get down to business. i've already mixed up some unmodified thinset mortarfollowing the instructions.
it's close to the consistency of peanut butter.starting at the mark in the center of the room, fill the cavities in the matting withunmodified thinset using the flat side of the trowel. it helps to run the trowel ina couple directions. try not to cover your reference lines.now comb additional unmodified thinset with the notched side of the trowel held at a 45-degreeangle. don't make swirl patterns, and just put the excess back in the bucket. next, lay the tile along the reference lines.just lightly press and twist into the thinset, making sure to collapse the ridges of mortarand get full contact to the back of the tile. keep laying the tile, putting spacers in between.for tiles that are 12-in x 12-in or larger
it's a good idea to back butter or flat coatthe backs of the tiles with thinset prior to setting the tiles.every few tiles, lift one up to make sure there's full contact between the mortar andtile. if not, you can backbutter the tiles again or use a trowel with larger notchesto spread the thinset. watch for any mortar on the face of the tile—justwipe away with a damp sponge. once you have a few tiles set, check for highspots using a level. you can even them out with a rubber mallet. keep laying the tile working in small sections. leave a â¼-inch gap between the tile and thewall to allow for expansion. and when it's
time to grout, be sure not to grout in thisspace. to make cuts a tile cutter works great forsmall jobs, but a rented wet saw is a time saver for big ones.for the tile around plumbing, use a tile drill bit for holes and nippers to cut curves. andremember to leave a 1/4-inch around pipes for expansion. we're making big progress on this bathroom.the wall tile is up and al the floor tile is down. we've let the thinset dry for 24 hours, nowit's time to grout. mix it according to the directions, usually a paste-like consistency.
working in small sections, press the groutinto the joints with a rubber float. then pull it diagonally across the joints and removeas much excess as possible. after about 20 minutes wipe the grout linesin a circular motion with a sponge and clean water. the remaining residue can be removedwith a grout haze remover. after the joints have been filled, don't walkon the floor for about 72 hours or as recommended by the manufacturer. back to those expansion gaps around the plumbing.just apply a bead of silicone sealant. in three weeks the grout should be completelydry, at which time you should apply a grout sealer.
the last step is to install any trim or transitions,and reconnect your plumbing fixtures. check it out. this new floor looks fantastic,but we're not done with this remodel yet. check out our next project at lowes.com/howto.